Puzzle Pieces
by Illeana Starbright
Summary: Tia tries to get her life back to normal, Brian takes Monica on the promised date, and Mia and Letty plot. Sequel to Dark Magic
1. Chapter 1

_Miami, Florida  
July 23, 2003_

Tia brushed a hand through her hair and stared at the front of Dark Magic in trepidation. Her hands were trembling and her breath was coming in short, sharp gasps. This would be the third time she'd tried to step into the club since she'd been released from captivity, and it wasn't looking any more promising than the previous ones. "Come on," she muttered, clenching her hands into shaking fists. Her first step towards the club had her nearly crumpling to the ground as black spots danced across her vision. She wobbled a bit and then flinched when an arm came around her waist.

"You okay there, sweetheart?" a low voice asked and Tia felt herself bristle automatically at the endearment. The last time a guy had started calling her pet names, she had ended up kidnapped. Her head turned sideways and upwards to take in the sight of a dark skinned man who was holding her up. He looked vaguely familiar, and Tia's brow furrowed as she struggled to figure out where she knew the man from. After a moment it dawned on her. This was one of Brian's friends who'd been waiting at the Miami-Dade police precinct. The loud one who'd looked like he'd wanted to shake Brian for scaring him.

"Y-Yeah," she choked out, managing a weak smile. "You're one of Brian's friends, right?"

"Roman Pearce," he said, carefully letting go of her. "And yeah, I am. Someone's gotta keep that crazy white boy outta trouble."

"That sounds like quite a job," Tia said with a more genuine grin, some of her panic fading away. Roman grinned back at her and she noticed that her hand had wandered up to play with a strand of hair that had come loose from her bun. "Um, how's Brian?"

"You can ask him yourself, if you want," Roman told her, jerking his head to one side. Tia turned her gaze in that direction and found herself smiling again when Brian- O'Conner, not actually Spilner- waved at her. He was leaning against the silver body of a car with deep blue shapes and blue lighting on the undercarriage. Next to him was a pretty woman with dark brown curls pinned up at the base of her skull. She gave Tia a friendly smile before turning and saying something to Brian. "You going in?" Roman asked, redirecting her attention towards him. He gestured towards the club as he spoke, making it clear what place he was talking about.

Tia chewed on her lower lip, considering her options. This had been looking like the third unsuccessful attempt on her part to re-enter the club. Maybe she could actually manage to get inside the club if there was someone around to distract her. "Yeah," she said, determined.

"Great. You can come in and hang with us," Roman said with a wide grin.

"If you want to," a new voice cut in and Tia turned to see Brian smiling at her. "You don't have to."

"It's okay," she reassured the blonde haired man. "I could use some company. I, uh, I haven't successfully been back in Dark Magic since the kidnapping." The last sentence jumbled together in an awkward rush and her cheeks flushed pink.

"You got kidnapped from here," the woman said with a gentle smile. "It isn't uncommon for that kind of thing to have some kind of psychological effect."

"Yeah," Tia replied with a weak laugh. "It's not exactly fun though, and I have to go back to work sometime."

"If you think this will help, then we'll try it," the woman told her before offering her hand. "I'm Monica, by the way. Monica Fuentes."

"Tia Holloway," Tia said, shaking Monica's hand. "Nice to meet you."

"The pleasure's mine," was Monica's polite reply, her smile suggesting that she might genuinely mean the sentiment. "Ready to head in?" The brunette glanced over her shoulder at Brian with a smile. The blonde man answered by sliding an arm around her waist and guiding her into the growing line down the sidewalk.

Tia turned to grin awkwardly at Roman, who smiled back and gestured for her to join the line ahead of him. "A gentleman, huh?" Tia questioned, arching her eyebrows as she stepped into the quickly moving queue.

"Only when he thinks it'll get him somewhere with the ladies," Brian turned around to inform her and Tia laughed over the sound of Roman's irritated mumbling.

"Sorry, hun," she informed Roman. "But you're not gonna get lucky with me tonight."

"So tomorrow night," he asked, giving her an equally sly look, and she laughed.

"Sorry Roman, but I don't do one night stands and I don't date guys I don't know," she told him, brushing a strand of her blonde hair out of her face. She'd left it down tonight, something that she was beginning to regret as the lingering humidity made it stick to the back of her neck.

"We'll just have to get to know each other then," he replied with a wink and Tia giggled.

"Smooth line," she informed him and watched as the seriousness faded away from his face. They were nearing the door now, the sight making the blonde's heart pound and her mouth go dry. She swayed a little and gritted her teeth, determined to see this through. She'd agreed to work a shift for Mindy, one of the girls who had been covering for her while she recovered from her kidnapping, on Friday, only a couple days away. She needed to go into Dark Magic at least once before then so that she, hopefully, wouldn't have a panic attack when trying to come into work.

"You gave me the perfect opportunity," Roman told her, slipping an arm casually around her shoulders. "And my friends call me Rome."

"Oh, we're friends now, are we?" Tia questioned archly, fluttering her eyelashes at him. Someone behind them cleared their throat, prompting them to move forward.

"Y-Yeah," Rome stuttered and Brian, who'd glanced back to see why they weren't moving, laughed at the look on his friend's face. "At least, I think so."

Tia grinned but didn't have time to reply as the line moved forward again, leaving them standing in front of the bouncer. Ricky smiled when he saw her and waved her through without checking her ID. "Hey, what gives?" an angry female voice demanded from the line behind them. "You didn't even check her ID."

"That's because she's an employee," Ricky's voice replied before it was lost under the pounding of music. There was a decent sized crowd in the club, considering that it was a Wednesday night and a good chunk of the customers would have to go to work the next morning. The four crossed over to bar where Tiffany Boswell and Luke Hanson were bustling around, serving people who approached them. Tiffany paused to wave briefly at them before turning back to the guy she was chatting with. Tia had been working at Dark Magic long enough to recognize him as the brunette bartender's boyfriend, even if she couldn't remember the guy's name.

A new song came on, bass thrumming through the floor, and the crowd around the bar cleared out, heading to the dance floor. Tiffany leaned across the bar to kiss her boyfriend on the cheek before crossing over to their part of the bar. "Good to see you back, Tia," Tiffany said, leaning across the bar to give the blonde a quick hug.

"It's good to be back," Tia replied, surprised to discover that she was telling the truth. She'd been hesitant to even agree to come back to work at Dark Magic. After all, it had been Jeremy DeWade's fault that she'd been grabbed, and her boss had been the one who had prevented her only friends in Miami from calling the cops. She'd only agreed because DeWade had come to her home and apologized profusely for the whole incident, telling her that he'd give her hazard pay for the event regardless of whether or not she continued to work at Dark Magic, and making sure that she knew this was valid grounds for legally terminating her current contract. Now, standing inside the club for the first time since she'd been kidnapped, she was sure that she'd made the right decision.

"So, what can I get for you guys?" Tiffany asked, standing upright.

"My usual," Tia told her and Tiffany nodded, glancing at the others.

"An Amaretto Sour for me," Monica chimed in.

"Okay. And for the guys?" Tiffany prompted.

"Budweiser for me," Rome said but Brian hesitated, making Tiffany grin.

"Still testing things out?" She prompted. "Or are you far enough past your former friends to go back to drinking what you like?" Monica's expression turned thoughtful as Brian glanced down at the polished surface of the bar.

"Just give me what you did last time," he told her and she nodded.

"Brian, you don't have to go on a date with me if you don't want to," Monica said as Tiffany turned away to fix their drinks.

"Thanks for the out, but I want to. I mean, if you're okay with that," he told her earnestly, while Tia turned a questioning glance towards Rome. He shrugged at her, but his eyes were knowing and a little bit protective. Tia didn't push. She wasn't a part of their friend group, and they didn't have to tell her all the details of their lives if they didn't want to.

"Here we go," Tiffany said, sliding two bottles across the bar to Rome and Brian, a Budweiser and a Heineken respectively. "And an Amaretto Sour for the lady and a Whiskey Sour for Tia." They thanked her and passed their money over so she could ring them up and hand over the change.

Tia took a sip of her drink and let out a happy hum at the taste. "You're the best Tiffany," she told the brunette, who grinned and handed over her change.

"I try, new girl," she teased in response. "I try." Tia snorted out a laugh and took another sip of her drink as the brunette hurried off to serve another customer.

"So, are you still working here Tia?" Monica asked after taking a sip of her own drink.

"Yeah," Tia replied with a relaxed smile. "I'm covering a shift for one of the other girls on Friday, but I start again officially next Wednesday."

"That's good." Tia nodded at the other woman and down the rest of her drink as the music changed. The beat hummed through her and her grin widened in excitement.

She turned to Rome and asked, "Are you up for a dance? Because I need a partner."

"For a pretty girl like you? I'm ready for anything," Rome replied with a flirty grin. Tia laughed and led the way onto the dance floor.

Rome was a good dance partner. He wasn't grabby like some of the guys she'd ended up on the dance floor with. His hands settled solidly on his hips and didn't stray from them during the entirety of the song, not trying to cop a feel. He stuck close enough to her to discourage any other guy from trying to pull something but far enough away that it didn't feel like he was crowding her. She settled her hands on his shoulders as the song changed to a different one. One she hadn't heard yet. It was the kind of music that Holly loved, with a hard, fast beat and plenty of electronic filler. It wasn't the kind of thing that Tia listened to on her free time, but it wasn't bad to dance to.

Someone tapped Tia on her shoulder and she turned to find herself confronted with what appeared to be a college age football player. He had puffy blonde hair and nice shoulders but his expression said he was used to getting what he wanted. She thought she could see a couple of his friends in their letterman jackets standing off to the side, one of them with his arm looped around a girl with long, dark hair. "Can I help you?" Tia questioned, voice frosty, arching an eyebrow.

"Hey baby," college guy replied. "Why don't you come dance with a real man instead of whatever the ghetto spat out?"

Tia's lips thinned and she wondered whether this guy was hitting on her because he thought she was pretty, or because she was dancing with a black guy and he thought she needed rescued. Smiling sweetly at the college guy's leer, Tia stepped closer to Rome and slipped her arms around his neck. "I think I have all the man I need right here," she cooed and college guy's expression turned dark.

Before he could say anything, Rome pulled her closer and shot a smug grin at the college guy. "Sorry _dude_ , but you're just not good enough to make the cut."

Apparently that hit a nerve, because the college guy drew his arm back and aimed a punch at Rome's nose. His arm lunged forward only for his hole body to be jerked back by that same arm. "Is this guy causing you trouble?" a familiar voice asked and Tia smiled up at Tony Andretti.

"He thinks he should be able to dictate who I spend my time with," she said in a sugar sweet voice. Tony nodded at her and shifted his grip from college guy's arm to his shoulder.

"I suggest you avoid harassing other customers," Tony told the college guy, steering him firmly away from the dance floor.

"Thanks Tony," Tia called after him, resting her head against Rome's shoulder as the music changed to a slower beat and gentler tone. After a minute she pulled back a little to smile up at Rome.

"Want to head back to the bar?" she asked, not entirely comfortable with dancing a slow song with a guy that she wasn't dating.

"I wouldn't mind another drink," Rome replied, shifting so his arm was around her waist as they made their way through the crowd of slow dancing couples, most of which were staring dreamily at each other.

Brian and Monica were still at the bar, chatting amicably. Tia wasn't sure that they were in love, despite the fact that they were putting on a good show as a couple, but they were sweet. "How are you doing?" Monica asked when Tia leaned against the bar next to her.

"Good," Tia replied with a smile, catching Tiffany's eye and tapping the bar. She got a nod of acknowledgement before turning back to Monica. "It's nice to be back, actually."

"Good," Monica replied before glancing at the elegant gold colored watch at her wrist. "Wow, it's almost three." She turned and smiled at Brian. "I have to go so I can drag myself to work tomorrow. Call me in the afternoon and we'll set up our date." Then she turned and sauntered out, drawing the attention of multiple men on the dance floor.

"That is some woman," Rome said with a whistle. "Too bad she's a cop."

Tia punched Rome in the side and Brian rolled his eyes. "Being a DEA agent isn't the same as being a cop, Rome," Brian told his friend as Tiffany made her way over.

"Need another drink?" the brunette asked but Tia shook her head.

"No, I just wanted to take a look at the schedule. I'm working for Mindy on Friday and I wanted to make sure I had the right time down for her shift," Tia told her.

"Gimme just a sec," Tiffany replied, bustling off down the bar to grab the waterproof binder where every week's schedules were stored. She returned with the binder in hand and slid it across the surface of the bar so that Tia could flip it open. She flipped to Friday and scanned it quickly, pulling out her phone to set an alarm reminding her to show up at Dark Magic on time before flipping the binder closed and sliding it back across the bar.

"Thanks," she told Tiffany who smiled and nodded, tucking the binder under her arm as she made her way over to talk to a customer. Then Tia turned to Brian and Rome, saying, "Thanks for hanging out with me tonight."

"No problem," Brian told her with a friendly smile.

"Maybe you can join us again sometime," Rome suggested and then looked slightly mortified by the fact that those words had actually come out of his mouth.

"Maybe," Tia agreed with a grin, hoping that she wasn't blushing. Then she slung her bag over her shoulder and headed for the door.

" _Wait_ ," Brian called after her and she paused by the door, turning back to see both of them hurrying over. "We'll walk you out," he said with a disarming smile. "Just in case."

"Thanks," Tia said again and allowed Brian to link his arm with hers, the three of them heading out into the very early morning heat.


	2. Chapter 2

_Los Angeles, California  
July 24, 2003_

"So what's wrong, Mia?" Letty questioned, leaning casually against the counter in the grocery store. Dom's girlfriend was keeping an eye on the door, watching out for cops despite the fact that Mia had reassured Letty that they weren't looking for her.

"Nothing's wrong," Mia replied, grabbing a rag and beginning to wipe off the spotless counter just to have something to do with her hands. Since Letty had shown up unexpectedly five days ago, Mia had successfully avoided talking about what had happened at Race Wars. More importantly, she'd avoided discussing the big reveal that Brian Spilner, gear head and Mia's boyfriend, was really Brian O'Conner, an undercover officer from the LAPD. Mia had thought that she wanted to talk about it, but she'd decided shortly after Letty's arrival that she didn't really want the subject brought up. She wasn't ready to face that. She might not ever be ready.

"I know you, girl," Letty said, folding her arms over her chest. "Something's bothering you."

"Nothing's bothering me." Mia's voice went defensive and she slipped the rag back under the counter, stepping out from behind it to straighten inventory.

"Bullshit," Letty replied, drawing the word out. "What is it? The truck heists? Dom running? Jesse's death?" Mia flinched a little at the mention of Jesse and moved deeper into the store, hoping to escape Letty's prodding. "Is it Brian?" Mia stiffened, her hand curling tight around a bag of chips, which crackled alerting Letty to her agitation. "Don't tell me that you're still in love with the pig!"

"I don't know, okay?" Mia spat back, whirling around to scowl at her old friend. "He told me it was all real, but I don't know whether he was lying or not." Mia buried her head in her hands with a low moan.

"Mia girl?" Letty questioned cautiously and Mia dropped her hands, revealing teary brown eyes.

"I just need to know the truth," she told Letty.

"So go ask him then," Letty said casually, not looking exactly pleased by the suggestion but managing to keep most of the venom out of her voice.

"And how pathetic would that be?" Mia spat back, whirling to face Letty. "Me dragging myself back to the guy who probably spent his entire time lying to everyone, including me, to tearfully beg him to tell me if he really loved me? I couldn't do that." She lifted a hand to stall Letty's protest. "Besides, I can't just close to store and drive all the way to Miami to track him down."

" _Miami_?" Letty asked, eyebrows rising in surprise.

"You thought he stuck around here after he gave Dom the keys to the Supra?" Mia responded, equally surprised. "He had to run to avoid being arrested."

"The police went after him for that?" Letty questioned.

"The FBI actually. They wanted someone to go down for the truck jackings, and since they couldn't get Dom they went after their inside guy turned traitor," Mia told her friend. "Someone actually showed up here to ask if I had heard from Brian since Jesse died."

"And you told them he was in Miami?"

"No." Mia turned her focus back towards straightening the shelves. "I didn't know he was in Miami at the time."

"But you would have told him if you'd known, right?" When Mia didn't answer, Letty crossed over and grabbed the younger woman's arm so that Mia would turn and see her scowl. "Mia, that good for nothing cop showed up for the sole purpose of ratting out Dom."

"That doesn't matter," Mia shot back. "Because I hadn't heard from Brian then, so what I might have done is irrelevant."

Letty didn't look happy about that but she didn't push it further, saying instead, "But you've heard from him since then, right?"

"No," Mia replied flatly, moving away from the now neat shelf and heading for the front counter.

"Then how do you know he's in Miami?" Letty asked, trailing after her.

"There was a segment on the news about a month ago," Mia said, leaning against the counter. "The newscaster didn't give names, but she was talking about some Argentinian with a drug empire who was taken down when a former LAPD officer working with the FBI foiled his escape by ramping a car on to his yacht."

"And you think that sounds like Brian?" Letty replied skeptically. "Are we even talking about the same guy? I mean, this is the undercover cop who couldn't even manage to beat Dom in a race."

"And the same guy who jumped from a moving car to a moving semi with no safety gear to save Vince, who didn't even like him," was Mia's response.

"Fair point." Letty hopped up on one of the bar stools and tapped her fingers on the countertop. "So say it really is O'Conner in Miami. How are we gonna find him?"

"Did you miss the part earlier when I told you that I can't just close the shop to do what I want?" Mia questioned.

"No," came the unworried reply. "But I'm sure that Senora Delacruz would be more than willing to watch the store for a few days. So how do we find O'Conner?"

"I don't know," Mia admitted.

"Then we'll figure it out as we go." Letty slipped an arm around Mia's shoulders. "Call Senora Delacruz and ask her to look after the shop. I'll grab a map and start plotting our course."

Mia nodded and stepped around the counter, taking the phone off its rest and dialing Maria Delacruz's number from memory. Senora Delacruz had babysat Dom and Mia after their Mom had died, when Dom had still been too young to know what to do if there was an emergency. She'd also helped manage the shop for as long as Mia could remember, only handing the job over when Dom had gone to prison for almost killing Kenny Linder. She'd said, "You need something to keep your mind busy, _mi querida_. The store will help with that." It had. In those days when Mia had felt like a boat drifting aimlessly in a tumultuous sea. Learning to manage the store had given her something to focus on aside from the nightmare it felt like her life had become.

The phone rang twice in Mia's ear before Senora Delacruz's warm, rich voice answered. "Hello?"

"Senora Delacruz, it's Mia," she said with a slim smile.

"Mia, what can I do for you?" the woman replied.

"I was wondering if you could watch the store for me for a few days," Mia told her, resting her hip against the counter. "I have an old friend that I've finally managed to track down and I would like to go see them if I can get away from the store for a few days."

"Of course I can watch the store for you, _mi querida_ ," Senora Delacruz said. "When are you planning to leave?"

"Tomorrow morning," Mia replied firmly before she could change her mind.

"I'll come over before closing this afternoon to make sure I know what needs to be done while you are gone," Senora Delacruz told her.

"Thank you," Mia breathed, giving Letty a thumbs up when the older woman glanced over at her.

"It's no problem, Mia," came the response. "I will see you at five." Then there was a click as Senora Delacruz hung up the phone. Mia placed the store phone back on the receiver just as the bell over the front door jingled. Two gangly teenagers, a sister and brother, stumbled inside arguing loudly in Spanish. Mia rolled her eyes towards the ceiling and then stepped out from behind the counter, clearing her throat. The boy stalked away, muttering, but the girl blushed.

" _Lo siento_ ," she apologized, trailing after her brother. Mia smiled and shook her head before turning to Letty.

"Do you mind packing our bags for tomorrow?" she asked.

"I know what you're trying to do," Letty replied with an amused grin.

"What?" Mia replied innocently. "I'm simply trying to give you something productive to do."

"Right," Letty drawled in response. "And if you happen to get me out of the store in the process, well lucky you."

"Let's face it, Letty," Mia said. "You never did like pulling a shift in here. You were always happier with the guys in the garage, getting grease under your nails."

"Yeah." Letty brushed her braid over her shoulder with a smile. "I'll pack up so we can leave tonight if we want." Letty headed for the door, leaving Mia to straighten up and focus on dealing with the day's customers.

The day seemed to drag on forever, each minute turning into an hour. Mia found herself staring with glazed eyes out the front window and tapping her fingers on the counter between customers. Lunch rush was the only point in the day where time seemed to fly. She found herself rushing to serve up sandwiches to hungry workers for an hour before they filtered out, leaving Mia with boredom as her only company again. She began to regret sending Letty to pack their bags. At least with her short tempered friend around, Mia would have some kind of entertainment.

It was a relief when Maria Delacruz arrived, grey streaked dark hair pulled back in a neat bun. Mia stepped out from behind the counter with a genuine smile, accepting the offered hug. Senora Delacruz pulled her close, smelling like the fresh baked bread she'd probably spent most of the day working on. "Mia, _mi nina_ ," she said. "How are you?"

" _Estoy bien_ ," Mia replied, stepping back and leading the way towards the counter. "Especially now that it's almost closing time."

"Slow afternoon," Senora Delacruz asked knowingly and Mia nodded.

"Incredibly slow. Luckily, it gave me time to write down everything that you need to keep track of while I'm gone." Mia pulled several sheets of paper out from underneath the counter, handing them over. Senora Delacruz studied each page for a few minutes, carefully reading everything Mia had written before moving to the next one. At last she placed them back on the counter.

"These are good. Much better than those instructions the girl you had working in here last summer left for me when she needed to run out." Mia smiled and shook her head at that. Last summer Senora Delacruz had said she was planning on retiring completely by Christmas, so Mia had worked on hiring help to replace her. The person who'd interviewed the best was Sabrina Martinez, a local girl who was taking a gap year between high school and college to earn some extra money. Sabrina had worked out great for the first two weeks. Then she'd started flaking out, calling people in to replace her, and leaving horrible instructions when it came to listing what still needed to be done. A month in, Mia had fired her and Senora Delacruz had decided she wasn't completely retiring within the next year.

"She left truly horrible notes," Mia replied and both women laughed. "Thank you so much for agreeing to do this on such short notice."

" _No es una problema_ ," Senora Delacruz replied with a dismissive wave of her hand. "I am not so busy that I cannot help you." She patted Mia on the shoulder. "Go pack. I will close up for you."

" _Gracias_ ," Mia called over her shoulder with a bright, grateful smile as she headed for the door.

" _De nada, mi querida_ ," Senora Delacruz called back before the door shut, bell jingling softly through the solid glass.

Mia barely glanced both directions before darting across the street, dark hair fanning out behind her. Now that the decision to track Brian down and ask him her burning question was made, her heart was racing with anticipation. She just couldn't wait to get this journey started and finally feel like she had her life under control. A smile on her lips, Mia flung open the door of her car and slipped inside, eager to get back home so she and Letty could plan.


	3. Chapter 3

_Miami, Florida  
July 25, 2003_

Brian ran a comb through his hair and glanced nervously in the mirror. He hadn't been on a date since he'd taken Mia out during his last undercover job in Los Angeles. To say that he was anxious about screwing things up with Monica was an understatement. She was a strong, amazing woman who deserved a better guy than Brian, and he was terrified about messing things up between them to the point where they couldn't be friends. He didn't have many friends to start with, and he couldn't afford to lose what few he had.

A fist banged on the door and Brian startled for a moment before relaxing when Rome's voice called, "Yo Brian, you ever gonna get outta there?"

"In a minute," Brian called back, grinning at his friend's groan of irritation. Sometimes it was just too easy to rile Rome up.

He took one last look in the mirror before turning away and stepping out of the bathroom, allowing Rome to brush by him. His friend was muttering curses under his breath, aimed at both Brian and Monica, but the blonde ignored them. He'd known Rome long enough to know that his friend didn't mean any harm by them. Give it ten minutes and Rome would have forgotten all about his irritation, especially since he had a date of his own. Tia Holloway had swung by earlier claiming that she needed a dance partner for the night and Rome had snapped the chance up like a starving man confronted with a steak while Brian had just grinned and shook his head in the background.

Honestly, Brian had thought that he wouldn't see Tia again, aside from when they'd both need to testify in the upcoming court case, but it was beginning to look like she'd be hanging around. That might be a good thing. Rome needed a girl that would make him work to get anywhere with her, and Brian suspected that Tia might be up to the task. Besides, she was a nice girl. She deserved a guy that would treat her right and, though he might be a womanizer, Rome wasn't one to lead a girl on. His momma had raised him too well for that.

Full of restless energy, Brian paced off of the boat and onto the dock. He stared out across the water, watching the sunset paint the water red. The sound of a car had his body tensing nervously before it passed by. Brian clenched his hands into sweaty fists and then relaxed them, murmuring, "It's just a date."

"Did you have to use all the hot water, bro?" Rome yelled indignantly from the bathroom and Brian laughed, shoulders relaxing some. He heard the rumble of another vehicle pulling to a stop around the corner of Tej's garage. It was a beautiful piece of cherry red machinery, but Brian's eyes were fixed on Monica as she stepped out of the driver's seat. The brunette had her curls pinned loosely over one shoulder and her red lips were curled into a glossy smile. She was wearing a dark red silk blouse and a pair of dark wash blue jeans, her sandals making almost no sound as she stepped on to the dock.

"Ready to go?" she asked, smile widening as they both heard Rome cussing at Brian from back on board the houseboat.

"Yeah," Brian replied, mouth dry.

"Good," Monica told him. "I'll drive." Brian nodded and followed her back to the car, slipping into the passenger seat. He was calm now that she was here, no longer worried about something going wrong.

Monica maneuvered them through busy city streets to park outside a tiny restaurant tucked in between a laundromat and an apartment building that had recently gotten a new coat of paint. The restaurant was lacking a big flash sigh, but there were several tables on an uneven patio and a chalkboard set up on the sidewalk listing the day's specials in slanting handwriting. Brian stepped out of the passenger side and followed Monica to the patio where she was greeted by a Hispanic woman with her hair tucked up in a bun. The talked in rapid fire Spanish, not a language that Brian was particularly proficient in despite growing up in California. He could stumble his way through most the curse words, but otherwise got hopelessly lost even trying to form a sentence. Mia had laughed at his few, pathetic attempts to translate conversations she sometimes had gotten into with locals that came into the grocery for supplies.

The woman headed into the restaurant and Monica motioned Brian over with an embarrassed smile. "I come here often enough that Jimena noticed my absence during the Verone case," she told him as the two sat down at an outdoor table. "She was berating me for going off on a trip without warning her."

"It's nice that you have people who care about you," Brian told her awkwardly and her expression turned distant.

"I didn't always," she admitted, staring at a spot just over his shoulder.

"No, I wouldn't," he replied, smiling back at her. "I was an only child. The closest thing I have to a sibling is Rome."

"Well I can guess that he got you into a lot of trouble, just like a good brother should."

"He's how I ended up in juvie," Brian admitted with a rueful smile.

"Oh?" Monica asked, arching her eyebrows curiously.

"My parents have never been happy with my career choice. They wanted me to take a nice safe job as a teacher and leave the hard work to my brothers."

"I'm sorry," Brian apologized but she shook her head, smile back in place.

"It's okay. My brothers have come around, so they visit on holidays. It's how I get all the juicy family news."

"So your brothers are big gossips?" Brian asked and Monica tilted her head back to laugh.

"You have no idea," she informed him, eyes bright and happy again.

Their conversation stalled as a younger Hispanic girl approached to take their orders. Brian was lost, drowning without a menu or a good grasp of the Spanish language. Monica took one look at his wide eyes and giggled before turning and ordering for both of them in fluent Spanish. "Thanks," Brian said as their waitress hurried away, heels clicking on the uneven stone patio.

"No problem," Monica said, rest her chin on her hands. "But I want to know how you don't speak any Spanish."

"It just never clicked," Brian replied with a shrug. "I spent all of high school trying to learn and barely managed to put together enough sentences to pass the classes. Anymore I can manage curse words, but not much else."

"I grew up speaking Spanish," Monica told him. "My parents immigrated here before I was born and spoke almost entirely in Spanish at home. The only times I remember hearing English at my house was when they were on the phone sometimes or the few months when I was learning the basics right before I went to school. They still only speak Spanish at home on the few occasions when I make myself visit."

"Did you have to learn another language in high school?" Brian asked, curious.

"Yeah. I tired to learn French, but I wasn't very good at it. I kept mixing it with Spanish." Brian grinned and Monica smiled back. They lapsed into silence for a moment, both comfortable with just being around each other without speaking.

"I'd ask you how work is going, but I'm guessing that I wouldn't get much of an answer," Brian said.

"You'd be right," Monica replied. "We at the DEA take secrecy very seriously. We even have to sign non-disclosure sheets so they can sue the clothes off our backs if we break the agreement."

"My undercover assignment in LA was the same way." Brian smiled ruefully down at the table. "I think those charges were further down the list they pulled out to help convince me to do the Verone job."

"They blackmailed you?" Monica's tone was angry on his behalf and while Brian appreciated the sentiment, he didn't feel the same kind of fury.

"It's okay," he told her. "They gave me a good deal, and it really wasn't so bad."

"It wasn't so bad? Brian, you almost died."

"I was a cop," he said patiently. "I'd been in dangerous situations before the Verone case with less backup than I did that time. Besides, Bilkins wasn't going to just let me get knocked off." When Monica still didn't look convinced he added, "Besides, if I hadn't ever done that job, I wouldn't have ever met you."

"You're an idiot," Monica informed him as if that were breaking news. She looked torn between the urge to still be angry and the urge to laugh.

"I know," Brian replied brightly. "Rome's told me that. More than once, in fact." Monica did laugh then, some of the tension fading away from her shoulders as the waitress brought their food. "Gracias," Brian said, pulling what little Spanish he remembered out of his brain.

"De nada," the young woman replied, blushing furiously and darting back towards the main building. Brain turned his attention towards his food, catching a glimpse of Monica's smirk.

"What is this?" he asked, prodding it curiously with his fork.

"They're pork tamales," Monica replied, already digging in.

Brian took a cautious bite and then grinned. "They're good."

"Of course they're good. They're the real deal."

They ate in silence, enjoying the good food and friendly company. The night was warm, but not uncomfortably so, and a gentle breeze swept between buildings to ruffle Monica's hair. She was beautiful, but for Brian that was nothing more than a passing observation because she wasn't Mia. That thought froze him. He hadn't realized that he was subconsciously comparing _Monica_ of all people to Mia, and the sudden reveal told him that this wasn't going to work. Monica would never be more than a replacement for Mia, and she deserved more than that.

They finished their meal long after dark, fireflies flickering around them. "So how's Rome planning on spending his night alone?" Monica asked as the waitress took their empty plates away.

"He has a date," Brian said and Monica's expression turned intrigued.

"Oh? Who with?"

"Believe it or not, Tianna Holloway."

"Really?"

"Really," Brian confirmed.

"That's...interesting," Monica mused and Brian found himself smiling again.

"My thoughts exactly." The waitress returned, placing a handwritten bill on the table, and Monica reached for it only to have Brian stop her. "I can cover this."

"What a gentleman," Monica teased.

"My momma raised me right," Brian replied, pulling out his wallet.

"Well I can't argue with you momma," Monica told him gravely, still smiling. "I'll take care of the tip though."

"Fair enough," Brian conceded.

The inside of the restaurant, where he had to pay, was tiny. There were a couple booths on the far wall and a single table for two, but otherwise it was dominated by a front counter and a bustling kitchen. He had to wait a couple minutes to pay but the elderly woman who rang him up and took his money spoke enough English that he could communicate with her. When he exited, Monica was waiting for him by her car, staring up at the stars. "Ready for me to take you home?" she asked him when he approached.

"That would probably be best, since we both have work in the morning," he told her with a grin, stepping around to the passenger side door.

Just like the drive to the restaurant, the one back to Brian's houseboat was taken in silence. Neither Brian nor Monica felt it necessary to fill the air between them with words. They understood one another, and also understood the value of silence in a good relationship. Even if they hadn't, Brian probably would have been silent. His mind was twisting and turning with thoughts of Monica and Mia, two of the most important women in his life. He loved them both, but Mia was the only woman he could picture spending the rest of his life with. That wasn't to say that he couldn't be content with Monica for the rest of his life, but he wouldn't be able to give her his whole heart the way he should have been able to. She would also be eclipsed by Mia.

Brian wasn't conflicted about that revelation. He'd fallen head over heels in love with Mia during his undercover mission in LA, in a way that he hadn't ever fallen in love with any other girl before, so it didn't come as any great shock that he wasn't likely to get over her. Instead he was worried about how Monica would feel when he told her the truth. He didn't think that she'd fallen completely in love with him, but he'd been wrong before. After all, he'd believed that he could flirt with Mia without falling completely in love with her.

His thoughts ground to a halt when she pulled to a stop outside of Tej's Garage, the security lights gleaming through windows and out from underneath closed doors. Brian hesitated a moment before reaching the door, opening it but staying seated. He glanced over at Monica, uncertainly, and then they both started laughing. "I had fun," she told him when they both calmed down.

"Me too," Brian said. "Maybe we could do this again, as friends?"

"That sounds great," Monica told him with an easy smile. "Call or text me and we'll set something up."

"I will," Brian promised, stepping out of the car. He hung around to wave goodbye to her as she drove away, taking the time to give her car an admiring glance. It wasn't as nice as his Skyline, but it was a pretty pricey vehicle for someone working on the federal government's stingy dime.

Once she was out of sight, he turned and headed back into the the houseboat. Rome wasn't crashed on the couch like usual, so Brian guessed he was still out with Tia. That was a good sign. Normally when a date went bad, Rome was the first one to flee the scene. That he was still out suggested that Tia would be sticking around for a while. Brian grinned and locked the door that he, Rome, and Tej had installed after the Verone incident. It had been their attempt to make the house boat a little safer from armed maniacs. Door locked, he headed for his bedroom, resolving to call Rome in the morning if he still wasn't back. Collapsing on top of his covers, he drifted off to sleep, dreaming of Mia's smile.


	4. Chapter 4

_Port St Lucie, Florida  
July 26, 2004  
_

Florida was incredibly hot. Mia fanned herself with her hand, leaning against her Acura while she waited for it to finish filling with gas. Letty had gone into the gas station, partly to escape the oppressive humidity and partly to ask how much longer of a drive they would have. They'd pulled over in Port St Lucie when the gas light had turned on, ignoring sun tanned guys whistling and hollering at them. It made Mia miss Vince, simply because most guys thought twice about catcalling her when he or her brother was around. Letty hadn't seemed bothered by the whole ordeal, but sometimes the other woman was incredibly hard to read.

Reaching a hand to lift her hair off her neck, Mia glanced over at the door in time to see Letty step out, sunglasses firmly in place over her eyes. The gas pump clicked, signalling that the tank was full. Mia sighed, dropping her hair back over her sweaty neck and making her way over to remove the gas pump. She had just settled it back on its rest place when Letty announced, "The cashier said we're about two hours away if we stay on I-95 South."

"Good," Mia said, turning to face her friend. "I'm ready to be done with this crazy road trip."

"Trust me, _chica_. This road trip is no near as crazy as the run for the border that your brother and the rest of us pulled off after we found out Blondie was a cop." Mia wrinkled her nose at the reminder that her big brother was a fugitive from the law but otherwise didn't argue. Instead she headed for the driver's seat, ready to get on the highway and back on the way to Miami. Letty followed, heading for the passenger seat and tossing Mia the keys over the top of the Acura. As Mia pulled back onto the road Letty asked, "So do you have any idea of where to start looking for your former boyfriend?"

"If we can find a race, he'll probably be there," Mia replied, accelerating and merging with traffic on I-95. "If not, I guess we'll have to start asking around at garages. Someone is bound to know who was crazy enough to jump a car onto a yacht."

Letty was silent for a moment before saying, "And what if you can't find him?"

"Then I'll go back to the store and be back to business as usual," Mia replied with a stubborn set to her mouth, unwilling to consider just how long her question would continue to haunt her if she couldn't get an answer.

Letty let out a skeptical sounding huff but didn't otherwise protest as the road slipped away beneath Mia's tires. That was good. Mia wasn't sure how much more questioning she could take. Just the thought of asking Brian whether or not he'd actually loved her made her stomach twist with a mixture of anxiety and hope. It made her foot press down on the accelerator, sending her Acura zipping around a couple slower vehicles. "Slow down, girl," Letty told her, rolling down her window. "Miami will still be there when you show up." Mia nodded and lifted her foot off the accelerator, willing her heartbeat to slow down the car. Letty was right. Miami would still be there when she got there and, with any luck at all, so would Brian.

* * *

 _Miami, Florida  
July 26, 2004_

Brian blinked his eyes open as bright Miami sunlight tried to sear his eyelids. He lifted a hand to cover his eyes with a groan, rolling out of bed. He stumbled blindly to the bathroom to relieve his full bladder and to splash some cold water on his face in the hope that it would finish waking him up. When he made his way to the kitchen to start a pot of coffee, he noticed that Rome still hadn't stumbled his way back in. That wasn't all that unprecedented. Every once in a while Rome went home with a girl and stayed the night instead of making his way back to the houseboat during the small hours of the morning. Brian shook his head and started the coffee pot gurgling cheerfully before searching for his phone.

"'Lo?" Rome's voice questioned groggily after the fourth ring and Brian barely bit down laughter.

"Hey, bro," he replied. "I'm just calling to make sure you aren't dead."

Rome let out a garbled, confused noise and light, female laughter filtered down the line. Brian listened to a rustle and then Tia Holloway's voice said, "Don't worry, Brian. I didn't kill him."

"Congratulations," Brian replied cheekily, earning another laugh. "I was just making sure Rome was dead in a ditch after trying to drive home drunk last night."

"Has he done that before?" she asked, but didn't wait for an answer. "Wait, don't tell me. I'll get the story out of him after he actually manages to wake up."

"You do that," Brian told her. "It's a good story." She giggled and he heard Rome grumble indistinctly on the other end of the line. "So he spent the night at your place?" Brian felt like he was a nosy next door neighbor fishing for information but Tia jumped in with an answer before he could come up with an awkward apology for prying.

"Yeah, he did. I made him sleep on the couch." Tia sounded so pleased with herself that Brian found himself grinning.

"Good for you."

"Thanks." He could hear the laughter hiding in her reply. "I'll send him back over sometime after breakfast," she promised and they exchanged good-byes, Brian hanging up and continuing with his morning routine.

Rome showed up at Tej's garage an hour before lunch time, wearing the same clothes he had the day before and looking barely awake. Tej let out a loud guffaw when he saw the other man, calling out, "Didja have a good night?"

"Better than you did, with Suki out with her girls last night," Rome retorted, scowling at Tej.

"Go get changed," Brian yelled from outside where he and Jimmy had just finished dealing with a particularly fussy client.

"Yeah man," Jimmy added with a grin. "None of us wanna be smelling two days worth of your sweat."

Rome grumbled something rude under his breath but obligingly headed around the garage and down the docks to the houseboat. He'd shower, likely complain about the lack of warm water, and make his way back to the garage in time for everyone to break for lunch, not that Tej really cared. Unlike Dom's garage, where everything ran on a strict schedule, Tej's ran on island time. If there was someone that needed something fixed within a certain timeline or who'd come in for a simple servicing, it got done on schedule, but everything else ran at Tej's convenience. It had taken Brian some time to get used to it, but he'd adjusted fairly well. It helped that being inside Tej's garage was so different from being inside DT's that he wasn't constantly comparing the two experiences.

Brian hummed tunelessly under his breath as he and Jimmy started working on a brilliant orange Jetta. The souped up vehicle belonged to Wakim, a street racer who usually ended up working an emergency graveyard shift at his security job the instant he actually committed to a race. Wakim worked at a storage facility that was constantly having to replace workers, not because the pay was bad but because it was located in a bad part of town. Normally the graveyard shift guards were the ones who quit and Wakim was normally the one that filled in. When he did make it to races he performed decently, normally ending up in the middle of the pack, and he was a good guy to race with. Generally he was less interested in winning and more interested in the rush he got from the speed. It had been a while since Wakim had been able to race, due to a combination of work and damage to his car that he hadn't been able to get looked at until now.

Jimmy started working on replacing the head gasket that had been giving Wakim so much trouble while Brian checked on the suspension like they'd been asked to. The two of them easily put in another hours work and, sure enough, Tej had just called for a lunch break when Rome wandered back in. "Maybe we should let you watch the shop while we eat, bro," Brian teased, grinning at Rome's irritated scowl.

"Man, that ain't funny," Rome whined, understanding the joke but obviously not caring for it.

"We'll lock up and come back in an hour," Tej cut in with a cheerful grin. "Rome can just take care of Melissa DuPont's Nissan as penance when we get back."

"Really? You're gonna let me explain to her for the hundredth time that nothing's wrong with the damn car," Rome complained, trailing along after them. Melissa DuPont brought in her brand new vehicle once every couple weeks, absolutely sure that something was wrong with it. They'd yet to actually find anything wrong with it.

Brian was grinning over his shoulder at Rome as he stepped out the front door of the garage, so he almost missed seeing Mia Toretto's Acura pull up into the drive and park. He happened to catch a flash of familiar color in the corner of his eye and turned to find himself staring at someone he'd thought he'd never see again. Mia looked just as stunned as he felt, eyes wide and mouth open in shock. "Brian?" she asked, voice carrying over the sudden silent group to reach him.

"Mia," Brian replied, feeling thrown and oddly shy. "Umm, hi?" Then Letty stepped out of the passenger seat of the Acura, scowling at him over the tops of her sunglasses and throwing his world further off his axis.

"That's the girl you've been pining over?" Rome questioned loudly from Brian's shoulder. " _Damn_ , Brian." Letty's scowl darkened at that but Mia just looked more confused than she had before. Brian glanced over at Rome, hoping his friend would understand what was being asked of him without the blonde having to say a word, and after a moment Rome nodded. "We'll meet you at the usual place, bro," Rome said, shoving Tej and Jimmy towards the sidewalk. "Give you some time to catch up with your friends." Tej and Jimmy looked like they wanted to protest but Rome didn't let them, hurrying them out of sight.

"Mia, what are you doing here?" Brian asked and Mia's expression crumpled a little. "Not that I'm not happy to see you. I just figured you want to stay as far away from me as possible."

" _See_ ," Letty cut in, as if Brian had just proved a point that she'd been trying to make. "Even the pig thinks you should stay away from him."

"Letty, can you just let us talk?" Mia asked, sounding strained, and Letty nodded, leaning against the Acura. "Brian, I need to ask you something."

"Okay," he replied warily, keeping out of arm's reach. It wasn't that he thought Mia didn't deserve a chance to slap him. Rather it was that he objected to the fact that Letty would think she was entitled to a slap too, and since Brian had let Dom go and done his best to save Vince and let Dom's entire team get away, he really didn't feel like he owed her much of anything.

"Was any of your act actually real?" Mia asked and Brian felt his stomach twisted like he'd just been sucker punched. Out of all the things that he'd figured Mia would want to talk about, that wasn't what had come to mind. He'd figured she would ask him why he'd let her brother go, or why he hadn't just let Vince die, not whether or not he'd actually loved her. He'd expected that any affection Mia might have had for him to have died the moment he'd revealed that he was a cop.

"Yes," he told her frankly, sounding as if all the air had been punched out of him. He hesitated a moment, nervously licking his lips, and then added, "I love you Mia. That wasn't part of an act."

Mia's brow furrowed as she considered what he'd told her. Then her expression cleared a little and she said, "You said love. Present tense."

"Yes," Brian said again. For a moment they both stood their, frozen. Then the corner of Mia's mouth curled up in a slender smile.

"I guess that's good, because I might still be in love with you," she said.

Brian was beginning to adjust to the breathless feeling of shock that kept rushing over him every time Mia said something that threw him for a loop. He stared at her, feeling as if he'd just been informed that gravity no longer functioned the way it should have. "You've got to be kidding me," Letty muttered, looking none too pleased by that turn of events.

"I didn't say it was smart to love him," Mia replied, turning to face Letty. "But you, of all people, should know that after what you've gone through with my brother." Letty looked as if she'd been asked to suck on a lemon but she didn't protest further. "Come on Brian, let's take a walk." He nodded dumbly, taking one last at Letty before following her.


	5. Chapter 5

_Miami, Florida  
July 26, 2004_

Every time Mia glanced over at Brian's face as they made their way silently down the street, she was struck by how much he looked like an animal caught in the headlights of an oncoming car. Ever since she'd stepped out of her Acura he'd looked shocked and the expression wasn't fading. Mia actually felt bad for him, in a strange sort of way. She'd had close to two days worth of a cross country trip to prepare herself to see him again, even if she hadn't been sure that he reciprocated her feelings. In contrast, Brian had been unexpectedly confronted with a girl who he knew had plenty of reasons to despise him. She couldn't help but be sympathetic towards him when her presence had so obviously thrown him for a loop.

"What did you want to talk about?" Brian asked, glancing at her before his eyes nervously darted away. Mia hesitated a moment, hundreds of questions resting on the tip of her tongue. Knowing that he had actually fallen for her, and she had no doubt about the truth of that after seeing the genuine emotion in his eyes when he'd answered her, made her want to know everything about him. She wanted to know what his childhood had been like, what his favorite food was, what his dreams had been before he'd given Dom the keys to the Supra, and why he'd become a cop in the first place. At the same time, she wanted to know what he was doing in Miami, who the people he'd come out of the garage with were, and why he'd actually given Dom the keys, because she didn't believe in that fairy tale bullshit where the prince wants to make everything right to win the love of the princess.

"I want to know the truth," she said at last.

Brian lifted a hand to nervously rub the back of his neck and said, "That's a tall order." Those blue eyes that had so captivated her the first time he set foot in the store were fixed on the cracked concrete underneath their feet.

"Start with why you showed up in the store," she ordered and he nodded, expression grim.

"The FBI showed up in my precinct about a week before I met you," he told her. "They were after a team that was pulling off a series of thefts from moving semis, thousands of dollars worth of merchandise. They knew from the reports coming in from truck drivers that the people pulling off the heists were either professional drivers or street racers. The agent in charge, Bilkins, had checked out the professional racing scene but no one had turned up a possible connection, so they wanted to send someone undercover to infiltrate the local street racing scene."

Mia nodded when Brian glanced at her to show him that she was following his story. It all made a horrible kind of sense. Dom had to have known that he couldn't get away with the truck jackings forever without attracting some serious attention, but that little arrogant streak he sometimes had must have piped up enough to convince him that he could get away with just a few more. Unfortunately, just a few more had led to Brian being sent under, and if he would have done his job properly then her brother would have been sent back to prison.

"The feds had tried to send a couple agents under in a different street racing scene in Detroit a few years ago and, according to Bilkins, they'd come out looking horrible incompetent," Brian told her, a hint of wry humor in his voice. "So he decided to try something new. He asked my boss, Sergeant Tanner, whether or not he knew anyone who could drive. Tanner knew I'd gone to juvie for hot wiring cars when I was younger and that I'd aced the police driving course so he sent Bilkins my direction, even if I was really new to the force."

"He must've thought you were capable," Mia commented when Brian paused and he shot her an assessing looking.

"Bilkins or Tanner?"

"Bilkins. But your sergeant too, for sending him your way."

"He must've," Brian said, shoulders slumping a little. Some emotion flashed across his face too quickly for Mia to actually guess what it was from her angle. "Anyway, Harry, who I was working for as part of my undercover op, had gotten into some trouble with LAPD recently. Bilkins promised to clear that record if Harry helped with my cover, and he agreed. All I had to do was play the part and get into the racing scene." He hesitated, pausing mid-stride and then turning to face her fully for the first time since he'd started talking. "I was supposed to get close to your brother, not you. He was the one that could get me into the street racing circle, far enough in that I could figure out who was doing the heists. I went into the store the first afternoon to see if I could find him, but you were there instead."

"Were you planning on using me to get to my brother?" Mia forced herself to ask, even though she didn't want to know the answer.

"Honestly, I don't know if I ever thought that far. I was too busy worrying about how I was going to actually meet your brother since my actual racing wasn't all that great at the time," he told her. "I just picked something off the menu and ordered it so I wouldn't look suspicious wandering in and then turning around and leaving immediately. I wasn't planning on even coming back until you started talking to me."

"Oh really?" Mia wanted to feel flattered, but she didn't believe in love in first sight. That kind of thing happened to middle school girls that constantly wanted to be in love or in Hollywood movies that used the same dry plot lines over and over again. In reality, it was more like lust at first sight than love.

"Everyone at food counters and stores, if the worker is any good, starts chatting to the customers, but most of them don't really care about the answers. You can see it in the vacant looks as they smile and nod along to whatever you're saying before they tell you their total," Brian said. "You were different. You were actually listening to what I was saying and taking the time to respond. That was what got my attention."

"Okay, but why did you come back?"

"Because I was curious then. I'd seen Dom's file before I even went undercover. I'd known exactly what he was capable of doing, though not why he'd done it. What I wanted to know was what kind of person his sister was, that she'd take the time to actually listen to some nobody's problems." He glanced away, cheeks flushing slightly. "And you were smart and sweet and so very determined to make something of yourself. I'd joined the police academy on whim. You actually had plans and dreams of your own, and you were going to make them happen. It wasn't something I'd expected, but none of you were really what I'd expected."

"You mean to say that there's more to Vince than what meets the eye?" Mia mock gasped, her own cheeks flushing at the obvious admiration in Brian's voice when he talked about her one time dreams.

"Okay, maybe not Vince," Brian replied with a cheeky grin, turning to face her once more. "But the rest of you have at least a little depth." Mia found herself truly laughing at that comment for the first time in a while. She'd forgotten how easy it was to be around Brian. How easy it was to just relax and talk to him, even if the conversation wasn't necessarily a pleasant one. "You gave me a reason to stick around that didn't have anything to do with the case," he admitted in a softer tone as her giggles grew softer. His cheeks were flushed with embarrassment and his eyes wide with uncertainty when he spoke, but she didn't think that he was lying.

"Thank you," she told him, sure that her own cheeks were tomato red by this point.

"For what?" he asked, completely mystified.

"For telling the truth," she replied seriously. "And for actually seeing me first, not just as a bonus of being around my brother."

"You're too amazing to be a bonus," he told her with equal seriousness. "And too determined to let anyone make that mistake more than once."

For a moment they just stood there, smiling at one another. Then Letty yelled from down the street, "Are you two finished chattering yet? Because I'd love to be out of this shitty weather."

"You get used to it after a while," Brian called back to her, still smiling at Mia.

"I'm sure you get used to Hell after a while too," Letty hollered back. "That doesn't mean I want to."

"We'd better get somewhere cool before she drags us both off to some bar," Mia said, eyes sparkling happily. "Maybe wherever your friends went to."

"Okay," Brian agreed easily as the two of them made their way down the street towards Letty. Once they were within earshot of Letty, Brian added, "It's not far. We could walk there," shooting a teasing grin her way.

"No way," Letty replied vehemently. "I'll drag you both into Mia's car if I have to."

"We'll drive," Mia reassured her friend with a laugh. "No dragging necessary." She slipped into the driver's seat, waiting until Letty was riding shotgun and Brian was in the back seat before asking for directions.

"Head the direction we were walking and take the first left," Brian told her. "There's a place called The Cove. That's what you're looking for."

"Is there parking?"

"Officially? No, but there's a gravel lot just past it that everyone uses as parking." Mia grinned and turned left, heading away from the coast. The restaurant and bar that Brian had mentioned was difficult to miss, since it boasted a large, blue plastic palm tree right next to the wooden sign painted with tikis. It was exactly the kind of ritzy island bar that Mia picture when she thought of spring break in Miami.

"Oh my god," Letty groaned as Mia pulled into the gravel lot next door to The Cove, obviously sharing her friend's thoughts. "Could you have chosen a less cheap looking place for a hang out."

"It's better on the inside," was all Brian would say as Mia parked the car.

The two women followed Brian into The Cove and Mia was pleased to discover that he was right. Someone had designed the place to look like the interior of an old ship. Dark wood gave drenched the main room into shadows and made the lighter wood of the tables seem to glow in dim fluorescent lights. Brian didn't hesitate, leading his way across the deep brown floor towards a table on the far end of the room, towards a group of people sitting at a table tucked next to the bar. Mia vaguely recognized the dark skinned man from before, mostly because of his comment when he'd seen her for the first time, but she'd mostly ignored the others.

They all looked up when Brian approached, smiling. A dark haired woman dressed in incredibly short jean shorts and a bubblegum pink crop top stood and rose up on her toes to kiss Brian on the cheek. Mia felt a brief flash of jealousy before the other woman sat down on the man with the dreadlocks lap and kissed him full on the mouth. "You gonna introduce us," the black man asked, grinning at Brian.

Brian nodded and turned to face Letty and Mia. "Ladies, this is Roman Pierce," he said, gesturing to the black man. "Rome's an old friend from Barstow where I grew up."

"I'm his brother from another mother," Rome chimed in cheerfully, grin widening when Brian punched him lightly in the arm.

"The guy next to Rome is Jimmy," Brian continued, gesturing towards a small Asian man who smiled and nodded at them both. "The other guy is Tej, who owns the garage you were just at, and the woman is his girlfriend, Suki. Guys, these are Mia and Letty. They're friends from LA."

Mia watched silently as some kind of recognition filled the eyes of Brian's friends. Suki was studying Mia intently, looking like an older sibling who had just met her younger sibling's significant other. Mia was incredibly familiar with that look, but normally she was the younger sibling whose significant other was being stared down. Being the significant other in that situation was strange. "Nice to meet you," Suki said at last and Mia nodded in response, smiling weakly at her. Then Suki turned to Brian and said, "Pull up some chairs. We've ordered already but we'll wait for you all to eat."

A waitress with all kinds of colorful tattoos up and down her arms bustled over to hand Letty and Mia menus, listing all the specials as she did. The two women and Brian ordered, sending the waitress bustling off again to turn in their orders. "So blondie," Letty said as soon as the waitress was gone. "How come the cops aren't all after you like they are Dom?"

"Oh angel, that's quite a story," Rome drawled with a grin and Letty scowled at him.

"It's Letty," came the icy reply. "And I'm taken."

"Actually he's taken too," Suki interjected. "Speaking of which, how was your date?"

"We aren't talking about that," Rome protested, flushing slightly, and Brian grinned next to him.

"You spent the night at her apartment," he said and Rome shoved him lightly.

"I told you that we're not talking about my date," Rome said again. "Now answer the nice lady's question."

"I think that's the first time anyone's called Letty a nice lady," Brian commented wryly before turning his attention towards Letty's question. "The FBI caught up to me a month or two ago," he told her. "They gave me an ultimatum when they took me in. Either I helped them catch someone they and the DEA were after or I'd be charged."

"He pulled me into that mess too," Rome complained and Brian rolled his eyes.

"It got rid of your police sanctioned ankle bling, didn't it?" the blonde challenged.

"Yeah, but it also almost got us killed," came the quick retort.

"What actually happened?" Mia asked before the two old friends could dissolve into bickering about things that were irrelevant to the actual story.

"The FBI and DEA were running a joint op to take down an Argentinian drug lord named Carter Verone. They already had an agent in, Monica Fuentes, but they were having trouble catching Verone with the drug money," Brain explained. "Verone was looking for drivers to transfer the money, which is where Rome and I came in."

"How did you end up jumping a car onto a yacht?" Mia asked and Rome whooped with sudden, loud laughter that attracted the attention of several of the waitresses, who had been chatting among themselves.

"The plan went a little south and I had to improvise," Brian replied, refusing to say anything more regardless of how much Mia pushed him.

Once they quieted down Letty asked, "Would a deal like you pulled get Dom off the hook?"

"Maybe," Brian replied, expression turning just as thoughtful as Letty's had. "If we could find the right situation, then maybe. It'd have to be something incredibly serious though." He hesitated a moment and then suggested, "We can do some digging after lunch, if you want."

"Okay," Letty said, her tone deadly serious.

The waitress brought their food out, taking two trips to pass out all the burgers and drinks. They ate mostly in silence, focusing on the food. While Mia's hamburger wasn't quite as good as the ones Dom made on Sunday afternoons, but it was definitely one of the better ones that she'd eaten. She dug in, stomach no longer twist anxiously and hope fluttering in her chest at the possibility that they might be able to bring her brother home.


	6. Chapter 6

_Miami, Florida  
July 26, 2004_

He'd thought that, after the Dark Magic case, that Brian O'Conner would have learned his lesson about seeking out trouble. Unfortunately, the younger man was about to prove Andrew Bilkins wrong. He had just sat down to dinner with his wife, Melinda, when his cell phone rang. He let out a long suffering sigh and Melinda smiled at him from across the table. "Go ahead and take the call," she told him and, for the millionth time since he'd gotten married, Bilkins found himself thank the Lord that he had managed to find someone who didn't care that his work sometimes interrupted their time together. He smiled back at her and stood, heading back into the kitchen where he'd left his phone.

The number on the screen was nothing short of trouble. Bilkins opened it and prepared for trouble, knowing that O'Conner never called him just to talk. Every time he'd been around the former LAPD officer, something had gone horribly wrong. "Hello, Brian," Bilkins said, waiting for the anvil to drop.

"Hey, Bilkins," Brian's voice replied. "I have a favor to ask of you."

"Of course you do," Bilkins said dryly. Then he asked, out of morbid curiosity, "What do you need?"

"I need an undercover case," came the immediate response. "One big enough that accomplishing it could clear Dom Toretto."

"Why don't you ask for the moon along with that?" Bilkins said sourly. The federal government badly wanted to nail the oldest Toretto for the truck jackings. It would have to be an incredibly important case to get that record cleared. Fortunately, or unfortunately considering that O'Conner was going to recklessly jump into it with both feet, he had one case that fit the bill. "I have one case that is big enough to clear his record, but it's going to be incredibly dangerous."

"What is it?" Brian asked, sounding almost eager.

"There's a drug dealer named Arturo Braga whose been hanging around the edge of LA for a few years," Bilkins told the younger man. "He ships heroin across the US-Mexico border, and neither the DEA nor the FBI can catch him."

There was a pause and then Brian asked, "If I do this, it'll clear Dom, right?"

"It will," Bilkins confirmed.

"Then I'll do it."

"Are you sure about this?" Bilkins pressed. He knew how well O'Conner and dangerous situations did not go.

"Yes," Brian replied firmly.

"Okay," Bilkins sighed. "I'll arrange it."

As he hung up the phone, Melinda called, "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, Mel," he called back to her. "I just have a couple arrangements to make and then I'll be out." That said, he quickly scanned through his contacts to find Markham's number. The DEA agent might not like O'Conner, but he didn't hold a grudge against the younger man like people in the LA office might. Furthermore, Monica Fuentes was one of Markham's best agents, and she got along well with Brian. She'd help him if Markham was difficult.

"Agent Bilkins, to what do I owe the pleasure?" Markham questioned when he answered after the second ring.

"I have a favor to ask," Bilkins said, leaning against the counter. He hesitated a moment before adding, "It has to do with Brian O'Conner."

"O'Conner?" Markham asked. "If he's gotten arrested again, I don't want anything to do with it."

"He hasn't gotten arrested...yet," Bilkins replied. "He wants to clear Toretto's name using the Arturo Braga case."

"Braga, Braga, I know I've heard that name before," Markham muttered.

"He's a drug dealer in LA," Bilkins filled in. "The one transporting heroin across our southern border."

"Ah, now I remember. Nasty case. Are you sure we want O'Conner anywhere near this?"

"No, I'm not sure," Bilkins admitted. "But he's determined, and if we don't help him, he'll find a way to go after Braga on his own."

"So what are you proposing?"

"That we take over the case and run it as a joint op between the FBI and the DEA. Maybe we can bring Ms. Fuentes in as well. Then maybe we can bring in Braga without too many problems."

There was a long pause and Bilkins found himself wondering whether or not Markham would go along with this. Bilkins could, conceivably, do it alone but that meant dealing with the California branch of the DEA, and that wasn't something he wanted to try. "Alright," Markham said at last with a long suffering sigh. "I'll start the paperwork."

"Thank you," Bilkins told him and Markham snorted yet.

"Don't thank me yet. Wait until we all survive this and then see if you still feel like it." Then he hung up before Bilkins could respond. The FBI agent shook his head and put the phone back down. He'd call Brian back when he had all the details. For now he was going to enjoy dinner with his wife. He had a feeling that it was going to be the last one he would get for a long time.

* * *

 _Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic  
July 26, 2004  
_

Dom made his way away from the party, celebrating yet another successful tanker truck heist on one of the narrow roads moving inland from Santo Domingo, heading towards the dark beach. The pounding of the bass from whatever song Rico or Tego had picked out faded away, washed out by the sound of waves lapping gently against coarse sand. Dom sank down a few feet away from the ocean, missing Letty. They'd gotten into an argument a little over a week ago and his girlfriend, who wasn't officially wanted by the FBI, had gone back to LA to visit Mia. He hadn't heard from her since then, even though she knew how to get in contact with him if she wanted to talk.

He and Letty had gotten into incredibly vicious fights before, some that had even resulting in screaming at each other from separate room, and had always made up so he hadn't been that worried. He'd assumed that Letty would call in a couple days, once they'd both cooled off. Instead he'd waited ten days without hearing a single word, growing more and more worried as the days dragged on. At first he considered the possibility that Letty had been taken in by the FBI. It was common knowledge around he and Mia's home that she'd been his long time girlfriend, so it made since that the FBI would want to talk to her. He'd scoured the news, searching for any sign of Letty been interviewed by the FBI, but had found nothing. That's when he began to consider the idea that Letty might have decided that she was done with him.

Thoughts of life without Letty were dismal. She'd been around as long as he could remember, even when he'd been locked away for what he'd done to Kenny Linder. The possibility that they'd faced arguments, his infidelity, and his incarceration only to fall apart now was sickening. Dom desperately wanted to call home and asked Mia whether or not Letty had arrived safely, but he couldn't any method of communication that went through regular channels. News stations around LA were still reporting, occasionally, that the police were still searching for the criminal who had organized the truck heists, so Dom was sure that any calls or letters sent to his childhood home were being monitored. The last thing he wanted to do was bring the police down on Letty and Mia's heads, especially if one, or both, of them was angry at him.

Knowing he didn't have any options didn't make the situation better. Instead it only served to increase his anxiety. If the Tran family decided to take revenge for the deaths of Johnny and Lance or if the police and FBI cracked down on Mia or Letty, Dom was too far away to help. Not being able to do anything to protect the ragtag family he'd put together had been a bitter pill to swallow from the start, making Brian's betrayal sting worse than it might have otherwise, but Letty's presence had helped ease that pain. Still having his girlfriend with him had given him someone he cared about close, and someone to protect despite the fact that Letty was more than capable of protecting herself. Now, with Letty back in the states, Dom was resigned to watching the news and waiting for Letty to contact him. There was nothing else he could do.

* * *

 _The story will continue in Second Chances_


End file.
